CES 2010 latest news
- prev
- 1
- next
If you've been keeping up with my monitor blog posts from CES 2009, there's one term you've probably heard tossed around more any other: "Full HD."
Samsung's LED-based 2370L is more than a little easy on the eyes.
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CBS Interactive)Yes, Full HD was the buzzword for monitors this year. Full HD basically means a monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio screen--as opposed to a 16:10--and either supports 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution natively or is at least compatible. All of the monitor vendors I covered this year had either their full lineup moving to 16:9 or at least the majority of it.
The reason for moving to Full HD is that monitors can then display 1080p content, like movies and broadcast sports, without requiring the be stretched or shrunken to fit the screen.
The second trend I noticed was more a lack of a trend. Of the vendors I covered, Samsung and Dell were the only vendors to debut new monitors with LED backlights. This surprised me, as the industry has been hyping LED backlight for the last year at least as the next big thing.
Going into CES green was already the new black, out now it seems we are approaching the pinnacle as far as green thinking goes. Dell launched a new line of eco-conscious monitors, and LG showed off how much power you can save from going green.
I first started hearing about stereoscopic monitors last year and I finally got to see them in action last week. Both Samsung and Viewsonic showed off their 120Hz stereoscopic displays. Through the use of 3D glasses--and a few other requirements--stereoscopic screens make 3D games to get, well more 3D.
What you actually see, though, is an enhanced depth perception, where the background looks further away and the foreground looks closer. Kind of delivering on the promise of old "3D" movies like The Creature from the Black Lagoon 3-D. And yes, I'm still bitter. The stereoscopic displays are probably the ones I'm looking forward to the most to test of the next couple months.
Thanks to Samsung, you'll be able to connect your monitor to your laptop via wireless.
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CBS Interactive)As for overall innovation, the title of winner has to go to Samsung. It had by far the most eclectic mix of monitors on display. With its stereoscopic screen monitor, an LED monitor that actually takes advantage of the technology, monitors built for laptops that even work wirelessly and other more aesthetic things like sparkling crystal necks. Bottom line: it's difficult to make monitors exciting, but Samsung was at least taking some chances with display technology.
The last trend has nothing really to do with monitors, but more with vendors themselves. They were branching out. Viewsonic announced a Netbook, an all-in-one PC, and the PC that attaches itself to monitors.
BenQ also has an all-in-one PC coming that's targeted at seniors and children and the first projector that can run solely from a USB thumb drive.
While this year's showing wasn't great for monitors, there were just enough innovations to keep me excited (and working) til mid year at least.
If you stare at this pic long enough, eventually it stares back at you.
(Credit: Westinghouse)In Westinghouse's press materials it states that either of the following monitors would be an ideal solution for a tailgating party. Finally, vendors are starting to give tailgaters the respect they deserve. No word yet if these TVs/monitors include beer holders.
During CES Westinghouse announced three new LCD HDTVs. The 19-inch PT-19H340S, the 22-inch PT-22H340S, and the 22-inch 1080p PT-22F380S. Each display includes support for 720p (1,366x768) resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and a purported 5ms pixel response time.
In addition, each display includes connections and support for ATSC/NTSC/CATV/ClearQAM tuner, which allow for over the air and direct cable transmissions. The displays also have support for 1080i, 480p and 480i formats. Connections options include HDMI, VGA, component, and composite.
All three feature Westinghouse's Daybright technology, which automatically adjusts the brightness based on ambient light in the room.
Some other specs include 800:1 contrast ratio and 300 candelas per square meters (cd/m2) brightness for the PT-19H340S and 800:1 contrast ratio and 400 cd/m2 brightness for the PT-22H340S. The PT-22F380S features a 1,920 X 1,080 (1080p) resolution with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness and 5 ms response time.
All three HDTVs will be available in March. Prices are TBD.
Along with pretty much every other monitor vendor, Westinghouse is moving to a 16:9, "Full HD" format for its monitors. This means that these new displays will be able to display 720p or 1080p HD content without stretching the image.
Other than "Full HD," not much is new about the new lineup.
Here are the specifications on the three new unreleased models.
(Credit:
Westinghouse)
L2031NW (20-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: Second half 2009; Price: TBD
- 20-inch TFT LCD monitor, 20.0-inch diagonal viewable
- True HD 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,600x900-pixel resolution
- 0.277x0.277mm pixel pitch
- 1,000:1 contrast ratio
- 250 nits brightness
- Fast response time of 5ms
- 16.7 million true colors
- Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
- HDMI (HDCP), VGA, and stereo audio inputs
- Built-in stereo speakers: 1Wx2
- EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: less than 41 watts
- RoHS compliant
(Credit:
Westinghouse)
L2427HW (24-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: March 2009; Price: TBD
- 24-inch class TFT LCD monitor, 23.6-inch diagonal viewable
- True Full HD 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution
- 0.2715x0.2715mm pixel pitch
- 1,000:1 contrast ratio
- 300 nits high brightness
- Fast response time of 2ms (gray to gray)
- 16.7 million true colors
- Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
- 2 HDMI inputs with HDCP in addition to VGA and stereo audio
- Built-in stereo speakers: 1.5W x 2
- EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: less than 59W
- RoHS compliant
(Credit:
Westinghouse)
L2635HW (26-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: March 2009; Price: TBD
- 26-inch class TFT LCD monitor, 25.5-inch diagonal viewable
- 16:10 aspect ratio, 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution
- 0.287x0.287mm pixel pitch
- 1,000:1 contrast ratio
- 300 nits high brightness
- Fast response time of 2ms (gray to gray)
- 16.7 million true colors
- Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
- 1 HDMI (HDCP), 1 DVI-D(HDCP), 1 VGA
- Built-in stereo speakers: 1.5W x 2
- EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: <65W
- RoHS compliant
Hmmm, just what movie is this anyway?
(Credit: ViewSonic)It wasn't all stereoscopic screens and crazy 3D glasses at ViewSonic's showing at CES. The company also introduced a new 24-inch monitor, the VX2433.
In keeping with what seems to be a trend with monitors at this year's CES, the new 24-inch display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and includes a "Full HD" 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. However, connection options are limited to HDMI, so I hope that ViewSonic includes at least a DVI-to-HDMI cable.
The display has a 2ms pixel response time and an aspect ratio adjustment that, according to the company, ensures your images are never distorted regardless of signal source. The display also includes integrated SRS WOW HD speakers and an Ecomode that automatically reduces power consumption and can extend backlight life.
The ViewSonic VX2433 will be available soon for $279, according to the company.
The M2400HD watches you..watching mountains...
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)At a separate hotel showing away from the main CES show floor, BenQ showed off its new monitor lineup. The buzzword this year seems to be "Full HD" for many vendors and BenQ is not an exception. Full HD simply refers to monitors that have a native resolution of 1,920x1,080.
BenQ showed off two Full HD 24-inch monitors, the E2400HD and the M2400HD, both of which are engineered with a 16:9 aspect ratio. With Full HD under their feature list, these monitors are being pushed not only as desktop displays, but as HDTVs as well. BenQ wants to see them used for movie watching just as much as spreadsheet number crunching.
The M2400HD has a unique glossy white finish and features a 2-megapixel Webcam mounted on the top of the bezel, integrated speakers, and a microphone. Connection options include HDMI (1.3) and DVI-D. BenQ also throws in a headphone jack, VGA connection and claims a 2ms GTG pixel response time.
The monitor includes BenQ's Senseye+Photo technology, which is purported to automatically adjusts the onscreen image, optimizing the colors and brightness automatically. Similarly, the company has also included a dynamic contrast feature that automatically adjusts the brightness of the backlight depending on the image on the screen.
The E2400HD is basically a black version of the M with a less robust feature set including the absence of the camera.
You can check out pics of the E in this slide show. Both displays should be available in first quarter 2009. Pricing is as of yet unconfirmed.
(Credit:
Trendnet)
Recording and viewing images from a security camera is nothing new, but being able to do that conveniently from any location within a wireless network is. And this is exactly what Trendnet offers at CES 2009 with its first-to-market 7" Wireless Internet Camera Monitor Kit, the TV-M7110WK.
The security surveillance kit includes one 7" Wireless Internet Camera and Photo Monitor, the TV-M7, and a Wireless Internet Camera, the TV-IP110W. The TV-M7 displays streaming IP Camera video in real time via the wireless network.
The TV-IP110W is capable of providing real-time, high-quality wireless video in the M-JPEG format. The camera can perform motion-detection recording, e-mail alerts, and scheduled recordings. It comes with an easy-to-use mounting kit and can be used on most surfaces.
The 7" TV-M7, on the other hand, can automatically connect to your wireless network, detect the included camera, and stream real-time video wirelessly. Interestingly, it can also act like a photo frame that displays slide shows and plays personal videos and music. It even comes with a little remote control for you to easily change what it displays.
The TV-M7 is the first device of its kind in the market for now and allows for monitoring up to four Trendnet Internet cameras on one screen or scan between cameras one at a time. While you can do the same thing with a computer, the TV-M7 makes it much more convenient and easy to use. And, of course, it works without any computer at all.
The Wireless Internet Camera Monitor Kit TV-M7110WK seems a good investment for a large home or a warehouse. It comes with a two-year limited warranty and an estimated price of $450. It will be available shortly in the U.S.
(Credit:
Acer)
The Acer P224 has been around for a few months, but now the 22-inch display is getting an upgrade.
DisplayLink and Acer announced at CES that the monitor will now be available with a USB hub that not only includes a Dolby speaker system for built-in sound, but DisplayLink technology as well.
DisplayLink technology allows users to connect multiple monitors to a single system solely with USB. DisplayLink also announced that it is extending its support to Acer's B series of monitors, which are more tailored for office use.
As for specs, the 22-inch monitor features a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, a native resolution of 1680x1050, and a pixel response time of 5ms, according to Acer. I'd be interested in finding out how Acer came up with that contrast ratio spec. I have my suspicions, but until I can get it in to test those my suspicions are only speculation. I will look forward to actually testing the monitor in a couple of weeks.
- prev
- 1
- next
